January 8, 2026
Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Arizona: Do You Need It?
Arizona has one of the highest uninsured driver rates in the country. Here is how UM/UIM coverage works, what it costs, and why most Arizona drivers should carry it.
Most Arizona drivers focus on the coverage they are required to carry: liability insurance at the 25/50/15 state minimum. But there is a gap in that protection that catches many drivers off guard. If you are hit by a driver with no insurance or not enough insurance, your own liability policy does nothing for you. That is exactly the scenario uninsured motorist coverage in Arizona is designed to address.
What Arizona Law Says About UM/UIM Coverage
Uninsured motorist coverage is not required in Arizona. However, state law requires insurers to offer it to every policyholder. If you want to decline it, you must do so in writing.
This distinction matters. If you have never explicitly waived UM/UIM coverage in writing, your insurer may be required to have included it in your policy, or at minimum to have offered it at application. Many drivers do not realize they declined this coverage or do not remember making that choice.
Is uninsured motorist coverage required in Arizona? Not legally. But given the conditions on Arizona roads, the question of whether you should carry it is worth examining carefully.
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays for your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages when you are hit by a driver who has no insurance at all.
Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage applies when the at-fault driver has insurance, but their policy limits are not sufficient to cover your actual damages. In a state where many drivers carry only the 25/50/15 minimum, underinsured situations are common in serious accidents.
UM and UIM are typically sold together in Arizona, though some carriers allow you to purchase them separately. Coverage limits usually mirror your own liability limits or can be set independently.
Why It Matters in Arizona Specifically
Arizona consistently ranks among the states with the highest uninsured driver rates in the country. Estimates from industry sources place the percentage of Arizona drivers without insurance between 10 and 15 percent or higher in some areas. That means roughly one in eight or one in ten drivers you share the road with may have no coverage at all.
An uninsured driver accident in Phoenix or elsewhere in Arizona is not a rare edge case. It is a scenario that thousands of Arizona drivers navigate every year. And when it happens, the financial outcome for the insured driver depends entirely on what coverage they chose before the accident.
Without UM coverage, if an uninsured driver runs a red light and injures you, you have limited options:
- Sue the driver personally, which is time-consuming, expensive, and unlikely to recover full damages if the driver has few assets
- Pay your own medical bills through health insurance, if you have it, and absorb any remaining costs
- Accept that your vehicle damage may not be covered unless you carry collision coverage
With UM/UIM coverage, your own insurer steps in as if they were the at-fault driver's insurer and covers your damages up to your policy limits.
A Real Scenario: $40,000 in Medical Bills, No Coverage
Consider a straightforward scenario. You are driving northbound on a Phoenix surface street and an uninsured driver runs a stop sign and T-bones your vehicle. You suffer a broken arm, three cracked ribs, and a concussion. After the emergency room, imaging, surgery, and follow-up care, your medical bills reach $40,000. You also miss six weeks of work.
The other driver has no insurance. They do not have assets worth pursuing in a lawsuit. If you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, you are looking at paying $40,000 in medical bills yourself, or submitting to your health insurance and absorbing whatever is not covered, plus lost wages you may never recover.
If you carry UM/UIM coverage with a $100,000 per person limit, your insurer pays those medical bills and lost wages up to your limit. A $40,000 claim is handled. The accident is serious, but it does not become financially ruinous.
This is the protection UM/UIM coverage provides. The scenario described above is not unusual on Arizona roads.
What UM/UIM Coverage Costs in Arizona
UM/UIM coverage is one of the most cost-effective additions available on an Arizona auto policy. Typical costs run $5 to $15 per month added to your existing premium, depending on the limits you choose, your vehicle, your driving record, and your ZIP code.
For an annual cost of $60 to $180, you are purchasing coverage that could pay tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in a worst-case scenario. On a per-dollar basis, UM/UIM is often the most efficient coverage available.
Coverage limits for UM/UIM typically match your liability limits or can be set independently. If you carry 100/300 liability limits, carrying 100/300 UM/UIM ensures you have the same level of protection whether you are the at-fault driver or the victim of an uninsured one.
What UM/UIM Does Not Cover
Understanding the limits of UM/UIM coverage helps set realistic expectations:
Vehicle damage. Standard UM coverage in Arizona covers bodily injury, not property damage. If an uninsured driver damages your vehicle, you typically need collision coverage to handle the repair, not UM. Some carriers offer uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD) as a separate endorsement, but it is less common and subject to state-specific rules.
Your own medical costs if you are at fault. UM/UIM only responds when you are not at fault. For your own injuries in accidents where you are responsible, you need medical payments coverage or personal injury protection.
Drivers with enough insurance. If the at-fault driver has sufficient coverage to pay your full damages, UIM does not apply. It only triggers when the at-fault driver's limits are exhausted and your damages exceed them.
How to Add UM/UIM Coverage
If you are not sure whether your current policy includes UM/UIM coverage, check your declarations page or call your insurer. Look for "uninsured motorist bodily injury" and "underinsured motorist bodily injury" line items. If they are not listed, they are not on your policy.
Adding UM/UIM is straightforward. Contact your insurer or agent and ask to add it. The coverage can typically be added mid-policy without waiting for renewal. Given the cost and the protection it provides, it is one of the most defensible additions you can make to an Arizona auto policy.
Make Sure You Are Protected
UM/UIM coverage is optional under Arizona law, but the risk it addresses is very real on Arizona roads. At $5 to $15 per month, the cost of not having it in the wrong situation vastly exceeds the premium.
Make sure you are protected. Get a quote that includes UM/UIM coverage and see the actual cost in under 2 minutes.